Pearson Edexcel · International A-Level

Recent past papers

78 paper and mark-scheme pairs

Handouts, exercise sheets and slides

Shared topic documents retain their source course and topic titles. Use your chosen board’s specification for coverage, tier and exam requirements.

Handouts · A-Level Physics (25)

Exercise sheets · A-Level Physics (105)

Presentation slides · A-Level Physics (25)

Course units and learning goals

These lessons teach selected course objectives. Check the remaining coverage gaps; the material is not a complete preparation programme.

Lessons →Vocabulary practice →

1 · Mechanics and Materials

Rate of change of displacement.
The gradient of a displacement-time graph is velocity. The area under a velocity-time graph gives displacement. A constant-acceleration formula is valid only when its assumption is justified.
Choose a positive direction and state it. Use a light gate or video with a known scale and frame interval for repeatable motion measurements. Avoid assuming hand timing is exact over very short intervals.
Mass multiplied by velocity.
Impulse equals momentum change. Increasing stopping time for the same momentum change reduces average force. Identify external forces before applying momentum conservation.
Draw a free-body diagram containing only forces on the selected object. For spring measurements, add loads in steps within the elastic range and measure extension from the unloaded position.
Energy transferred per unit time.
Define the system and useful output before calculating efficiency. Doubling speed quadruples kinetic energy at constant mass. Power describes transfer per time, not total energy.
Measure a lifting height and load, time the lift, and record electrical input with suitable instruments. Repeat trials and account for heating or friction as transfers, not missing energy.

velocity: Rate of change of displacement
acceleration: Rate of change of velocity
momentum: Mass multiplied by velocity
resultant force: The vector sum of forces on an object
power: Energy transferred per unit time
efficiency: Useful output divided by total input

2 · Waves and Electricity

Distance between successive points in phase.
At a boundary, frequency stays fixed by the source. A change of speed changes wavelength. Refraction follows from speed differences; angles are measured from the normal.
Measure several wavelengths and divide to reduce fractional reading uncertainty. Use a ray box with a normal drawn at the boundary. Keep the beam away from eyes and record incident and refracted angles clearly.
Rate of flow of charge.
Current is the same through components in series. Potential differences add around the series path. In parallel, branches share the same potential difference, while branch currents sum at a junction.
Place an ammeter in series and a voltmeter in parallel. For an I-V investigation, change voltage in steps, reverse polarity when appropriate and limit current to reduce heating.
A quantum of electromagnetic radiation.
Use photon energy = Planck constant × frequency. Maximum kinetic energy = photon energy - work function. Increasing intensity at fixed frequency increases photon arrival rate, not individual photon energy.
Read axes carefully on a stopping-potential or kinetic-energy graph. Identify threshold frequency from the zero-energy intercept. State the metal and experimental conditions because work function is material-specific.

wavelength: Distance between successive points in phase
frequency: Number of oscillations per unit time
current: Rate of flow of charge
potential difference: Energy transferred per unit charge
photon: A quantum of electromagnetic radiation
work function: Minimum surface energy needed to release an electron

3 · Practical Skills in Physics I

A quantified limitation on a measured result.
For a product or quotient, adding fractional uncertainties is a common maximum-uncertainty approximation. For a difference, add absolute uncertainties. A nonzero intercept can reveal an offset or an incomplete model.
Show units on axes and choose a sensible scale. Plot uncertainty bars where justified, draw a best-fit line rather than joining every point, and estimate steepest and shallowest plausible gradients when the course method calls for them.

uncertainty: A quantified limitation on a measured result
systematic error: A consistent measurement bias

4 · Further Mechanics, Fields and Particles

Mass multiplied by velocity.
Impulse equals momentum change. Increasing stopping time for the same momentum change reduces average force. Identify external forces before applying momentum conservation.
Draw a free-body diagram containing only forces on the selected object. For spring measurements, add loads in steps within the elastic range and measure extension from the unloaded position.
Creation of emf by changing flux linkage.
Changing field strength, coil area, orientation or relative motion can change flux linkage. Lenz law describes an induced effect opposing the change producing it, consistent with energy conservation.
Use a coil and sensitive meter to compare magnet motion in each direction. Record that a stationary arrangement gives no induced signal. Use approved low-voltage supplies for motor demonstrations.
A description of gravitational force per unit mass.
For a point mass or outside a spherical mass, field strength follows an inverse-square distance dependence. Use distance from the centre, not height above the surface alone.
State the circular-orbit approximation and ignore atmospheric drag only when justified. Draw the force toward the central body and velocity tangential to the orbit. Do not add an outward force merely because the path is circular.

momentum: Mass multiplied by velocity
resultant force: The vector sum of forces on an object
induction: Creation of emf by changing flux linkage
transformer: A device transferring energy between coils through changing flux
gravitational field: A description of gravitational force per unit mass
centripetal force: Net force toward the centre of a curved path

5 · Thermodynamics, Radiation, Oscillations and Cosmology

Energy per mass per temperature rise.
Temperature relates to particle motion in a model; internal energy includes kinetic and potential contributions. During a change of state, energy can change particle arrangements rather than temperature.
Measure mass, electrical input and temperature change for an insulated block. Ensure the temperature sensor has good contact, allow time for equilibration, and consider energy transferred to the surroundings.
Temperature on the kelvin scale.
At fixed amount and volume, pressure is proportional to kelvin temperature. At fixed temperature and amount, pressure is inversely proportional to volume. State which quantities are fixed before choosing a relationship.
Use approved apparatus with a temperature range and pressure limit set by the teacher. Allow thermal equilibrium and record pressure against kelvin temperature. Never heat an improvised sealed vessel.
Time for activity or undecayed population to halve.
Subtract background counts measured over the same time interval. Distinguish irradiation from contamination. Shielding, distance and reduced exposure time can reduce risk under a school-controlled procedure.
Use teacher-managed sources and the school radiation rules. Record count duration and repeat background measurements. Do not extrapolate a half-life from one nucleus or from uncorrected readings.
A large response to periodic forcing near a natural frequency.
Velocity is greatest near equilibrium for ideal SHM, while acceleration magnitude is greatest at extreme displacement. Resonance can occur near the natural frequency under periodic driving, with amplitude limited by damping.
Measure time for several complete oscillations and divide. Define a cycle consistently and use a small displacement when the model requires it. Keep pendulum paths clear and record damping effects rather than assuming perfect motion.
Total emitted power.
For isotropic emission without absorption, flux follows an inverse-square relationship with distance. Observed brightness alone therefore cannot establish luminosity.
Keep distance units consistent, identify which quantities are intrinsic to the star, and distinguish observational evidence from a model of stellar evolution. Do not confuse a red giant stage with every possible final remnant.

specific heat capacity: Energy per mass per temperature rise
latent heat: Energy associated with a change of state
absolute temperature: Temperature on the kelvin scale
ideal gas: A gas model with specified simplifying assumptions
half-life: Time for activity or undecayed population to halve
background radiation: Radiation measured apart from the investigated source
resonance: A large response to periodic forcing near a natural frequency
damping: Energy transfer out of an oscillating system
luminosity: Total emitted power
flux: Power received per unit area

6 · Practical Skills in Physics II

A quantified limitation on a measured result.
For a product or quotient, adding fractional uncertainties is a common maximum-uncertainty approximation. For a difference, add absolute uncertainties. A nonzero intercept can reveal an offset or an incomplete model.
Show units on axes and choose a sensible scale. Plot uncertainty bars where justified, draw a best-fit line rather than joining every point, and estimate steepest and shallowest plausible gradients when the course method calls for them.

uncertainty: A quantified limitation on a measured result
systematic error: A consistent measurement bias

Preparing for this qualification

Six separately assessed units; IAS uses Units 1–3, IAL uses Units 1–6.
Units 3 and 6 are written practical-skills examinations based on experimental experience; they are not a Cambridge hands-on practical paper.
Retain core-practical numbering from the acquired specification. Unit weights, marks and times are in the assessment evidence manifest.
This package uses the 2018 specification, current for these assessments. Pearson announces first teaching of a redeveloped course from September 2027; do not mix its future content into the current Unit 1–6 route.

Teaching coverage still needed

Full material stress/strain, fluid and mechanical statement coverage remains.
Full superposition, quantum wave evidence, resistivity/emf and network statements remain.
All AS core practicals and written graph/design objectives remain.
Circular motion, electric/magnetic field calculations, capacitors and particle physics remain.
Full thermodynamic/radiation/stellar objectives remain.
Full A2 practical design, transformations and uncertainty analysis remain.